Amplify Nursing

In this episode of Amplify Nursing, we’re talking with Tracy Young about the unexpected path from a small-town community college to nurse anesthesia, healthcare leadership, and national advocacy. Now serving as president of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology, Tracy shares what sparked his passion for advocacy, the power of getting nurses involved, and what he’s learned about building strong organizations and effective leadership along the way. 

In this episode of Amplify Nursing, Dr. Wanda Montavo shares how her own experiences with healthcare access shaped her commitment to social justice and health equity. She also discusses her work leading the Leonard A. Lauder Community Care Nurse Practitioner Program at the University of Pennsylvania, an ambitious effort to address primary care shortages by fully supporting nurse practitioners who choose to serve communities with the greatest need. The conversation explores what it means to invest in nurses not only as healthcare providers, but as leaders who can help create more equitable systems of care.

In this episode of Amplify Nursing, we’re talking about food allergies, nursing education, and innovation.

Our guest is Olga Kagan, a nurse, innovator, and founder of the Food Allergy Nursing Association. Olga shares the personal and professional experiences that led her to this work and why she saw a need to help nurses become better prepared to care for people with food allergies.

We also talk about gaps in nursing education, the challenges people with food allergies face every day, and Olga’s own journey as an innovator—from learning to problem-solve in a resource-constrained healthcare system to finding her community in the nursing innovation space.

In this episode of Amplify Nursing, we’re talking about the power of communication, connection, and finding your voice as a nurse leader. Our guest is Britt DiNatale, a nurse leader, communications expert, and founder of Clinical Insight Collective. Britt brings a unique perspective to nursing, drawing on a career that spans clinical practice, business, marketing, and communications. 

We talk about her unconventional path back to nursing, why she describes her career as a “labyrinth” rather than a ladder, and what she has learned about leadership along the way. 

Britt also shares her thoughts on nursing identity, storytelling, authenticity, and the unique clinical and human expertise nurses bring to an increasingly AI-driven healthcare landscape. 

In this episode of Amplify Nursing, we take a different approach, bringing you a live conversation from the Johnson & Johnson Nurse Innovation Fellowship. Nurse leaders from across the country share what inspired them to pursue innovation, the challenges they hope to solve, and how human-centered design is helping them reimagine the future of nursing and healthcare.

In this episode of Amplify Nursing, we talk with Mark Lazenby, Dean of the UC Irvine School of Nursing, as he reflects on his journey from philosophy scholar to oncology nurse practitioner and academic leader. 

Drawing from his work as an educator, clinician, and author of Caring Matters Most and Toward a Better World, he discusses leadership through the lens of trustworthiness, relational care, honesty, and ethics, and explores how nursing can help create a more compassionate and equitable healthcare system. 

In this episode of Amplify Nursing, we talk with Erin Foley, Region 6 Director for the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology. Erin shares her journey into nursing—from early childhood experiences in a hospital playroom to a dynamic career as a CRNA—and reflects on how curiosity, mentorship, and persistence shaped her path. She discusses her nontraditional route into anesthesia, the moments that pushed her to grow, and how her passion for learning evolved into a deep commitment to advocacy and leadership. Erin also offers insight into the realities of modern CRNA practice, the critical role of policy in shaping healthcare, and why showing up—whether in clinical spaces or legislative arenas—can make all the difference. 

In this episode of Amplify Nursing, we speak with two influential voices in nursing leadership: Claire Zangerle, CEO of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership and the Chief Nurse Executive of the American Hospital Association and Ena Williams, President of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership and Chief Nurse Executive at Yale New Haven Health. They discuss how leadership is evolving in today’s complex healthcare environment, why every nurse is a leader, and what skills and support the next generation of nurse leaders will need to navigate a rapidly changing future. The conversation also explores how mentorship, leadership development, and emerging perspectives from new nurses are shaping the profession. Together, they offer insight into how nurse leaders can remain adaptable, collaborative, and influential as healthcare continues to evolve. 

On this episode of the Amplify Nursing Podcast, Marion Leary speaks with Ahrin Mishan, Executive Director of the Rita and Alex Hillman Foundation, about the foundation’s origins and its mission to support nurse innovators driving systemic change in healthcare. Together, they discuss the unique role nurses play in identifying gaps in care, advancing equity, and designing solutions that can transform health systems.